Panasonic closing LCD plant to start production on OLED and 4K tablet

Eagle-eyed television lovers will have spotted that Panasonic has changed its LCD range to use passive 3D technology. Not because it particularly believes passive 3D is the best 3D display tech, but as a result of shutting down its own LCD panel manufacturing facility instead buying-in LCDs from LG.

Now we’ve also learnt that Panasonic is going to be using the former LCD factory to produce both the new 56-inch OLED TV it announced this week, and the 4k, 20-inch tablet. Plasma TV production is done elsewhere, and that plant won’t be closing any time soon, although the company did tell us that eventually it thinks OLED will replace both the existing display technologies.

That the firm has shut the factory already really does point to its getting started on mass-producing OLEDs. A spokesman told us that although there are no dates, Panasonic is confident it can produce TVs that use the technology and are significantly cheaper than the rivals.

Panasonic also says that OLED needs to be 4K because there’s really no point in selling this new tech with the resolutions of today. There's a general feeling that we’ll begin to see a lot more 4K footage soon. Panasonic seems confident that Blu-ray will get its standards tweaked to allow for the Ultra igh Definition content in due course, but the firm also seems to think that 4K video will be distributed online.

Also interesting was the information that it’s pretty much impossible to convert a plasma TV facility into one that produces OLEDs. Instead, when plasma TVs finally make their exit, it will apparently be easier for Panasonic to turn the plant into a solar panel factory. Fascinating stuff, and a little mind-boggling.

Starting off as a spotty youth who worked in Currys, he moved to the BBC (after getting a degree) where he was an editorial wrangler. A stint writing for Top Gear and co-presenting Sky One's Gadget Geeks completes the picture. Ian has since left Pocket-lint.